Check protector



March 21, 1961 H, E. HUTZELMAN CHECK PROTECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1, 1957 INVENTOR. HOWARD E. HUTZELMAN m2 IO 1 Fl G 5 I02 ATTORNE Y H. E. HUTZELMAN March 21, 1961 CHECK PROTECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1957 INVENTOR HOWARD E. HUTZELMAN FIG. 2

AT T Q R N EY March 21, 1961 H. E. HUTZELMAN 2,975,702

CHECK PROTECTOR Filed April 1, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 THE SUM OF FIG. 6

&

INVENTOR.

HOWARD E. HUTZELMAN MJW ATTORNEY FIG. l3

CHECK PROTECTOR Howard E. Hutzelman, Corry, Pa., assignor to Applied Research Corp., Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 1, 1957, Ser. No. 649,887

11 Claims. (Cl. 1101-99) This invention relates toprinting devices and, more particularly, to devices for writing checks.

This application is a continuation in part of patent application, Serial No. 487,571, filed February 11, 1955, now Patent No. 1851946.

In the said parent application, a check 'writing'device is disclosed which has a base and two spaced end caps bands incorporated an upper plate and a lower plate independent of the upper plate. Upper side printing'characters' weremo lded. from one of these plateswhile theregistering grooves in the under side of theharrd were molded from the otherplate. It was not possible to prevent relative sidewise movement between these two plates during'th'e molding'operati'on;

In the present design, bothfithe characters and the grooves are disposed on theupper side of the rubber stampband. This is made-possible by locating the registering grooves between the pIinti-ng'characters onthe face of the'band; Similarly, the registry of the printing blocks has been :defined by redesigning the block holders to embody locating edges'orfingers which contact the molded edge of the printingface-ofthe rubber block. The former design located these blocks' by variable cut edge of the block, thus allowing for minor error in alignment and consequent non-unifonni'tyof printing on checks.

The present design is changed to improve registry. con- 'trol of the' characters having, at thesaine' time, elimihated the requirement for adhesive bonding of thestamp bands and blocks' to the wheels and to the blcckholders. The rubber stamp bands are inserted from theside of the wheels so :that thenwheels and block holdersincorporate a self-containing'f'eature for'these parts,

Bytlre new design" disclosed.lierein, it'is possibleto control the thicknessrof' the :stamp: parts and, ttherefore,

uniformity:inmanufiacturing.. Anumber of rubber-stamp bands and blocks are producedin the form of a single rubber sheet to be subsequently cut apart into individual pieces; Control. of the thiclenessof :this sheet :as: molded by present methods cannot be maintained cllose enough for this requirement since --thickness of the bands is determined by such consideration as amount of 'rubber stock charged into thepress, molding pressure, temperature, composition, and other factors, each of which will vary-from timegto, time. A close control of thickness-of United States Patent ally thicker than is desired for the final band and subsequently grinding away one side of the sheet to bring the entire sheet to the desired thickness. The former design embodied registering grooves on the underside of this sheet opposite the printing face side and grinding olfof material from this side decreased the depth of the registering grooves and was, therefore, limited. The present design which incorporates the registering grooves on the same side of the sheet as the printing face permits unlimited grinding of theunderside to produce the exact thickness required. At the same time, the present design permits compensating for rubber band thickness variations at the time the check protecting machine is assembled. Since adhesivebonding of'the rubber bands to the wheels is not required in the present design, it is possible to add shims between the wheels and the rubber bands to bring the bands to the desired overall thickness.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a checkpnotecting device which is simple in construction,

economical to manufacture, and simple and efficient to Use.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved printing wheel and an improved support for the vof parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and

minor details of construction without'departing from the spirit or sacrificingany of the advantages (of the invention.

In the drawings:-

Figs lis an isometric view of a. chine according to the invention;

Fig; 2 showsthe base structure-having a printing platen thereon and one of the endcaps supported on the bracket with the check spacing device thereon according to the invention;

Figs. 3 and 4 show a right side view and a front view, respectively, of the indicator wheels of the machine according to the invention;

Fig. 5 shows a cross sectional view taken on line 5-5 ofFig. 13;

Fig. 6 is a side View of the cover for the indicator wheels of the. machine;

check Writing ma- Fig. 7 is a front view of the cover for the indicator 7 wheels;

the sheetcan'beobtainediby;moldingthersheet intentions Fig. 8 is a front view-of the indicia spacer bars with the detentspringsand balls therein;

Figs. 9 and 10 show a bottom view and a side view, respectively, of one of the end caps of the machine;

Figs. 11 and 12 show a. fronttview and an end view, respectively, of the spacer. blocks for spacing the indicia wheels on the support axle; 7 Fig. 1 3 is a view of the indicia wheels assembled on the axlewith the spacer blocks therebetween;

Fig".-l4 is a side 'view oftheporons rubber indicia printinghand of the machine; f Y a Big. 15 is across sectional view taken on line 15 -15 of Fig. 14; p

- .Figs. 16. andl7 showfront and-endviews, respectively,

of the porous rubber'..bandl;tor;the; fixed printing block;

Fig. 18 is a cross sectional of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 19 is a broken view of the printing indicia exposed between the cover slot when the wheel are set to print the sum of Dols 00 Cts.

Now with more specific reference to the drawings, a check writing machine is shown having a base 11 with end caps 12 and 13 supported thereon. The end caps 12 and 13 have a round portion 14 with an elongated portion 15 integral therewith. Pins 21 are molded into the elongated portion 15 at 22 and fit into bores 24 in the base 11 to hold the end caps 12 and 13 in place with a flat surface 19 resting on the top of the base 11. A screw engages a threaded hole 23 when the machine 10 is assembled to hold the end caps 12 and 13 in assembled position. A laterally disposed slot 32 in each of the end caps 12 and 13 has an inner edge 33 thereof which extends inwardly further than an outer edge 34, the inner edge 33 serving as a guide flange to guide the ends of a cover 35 into the slot 32.

view taken on line 18-18 Cover The cover 35 is made of a thin sheet of material bent in the form of a hollow cylinder with an opening formed by terminal ends 36 and 37. The corners of the ends 36 and 37 engage ends 38 and 39, respectively, of the slots 32 adjacent a lateral slot in the end caps 12 and 13. The slot 25 forms an opening for a platen 26 to [move the check through during the printing operation.

The cover 35 is made of opaque material; however, it may be made of transparent material and the entire surface painted with the exception of windows 40 which will be masked during the painting operation to render them transparent so that the indicia constituting the numerals on an indicia portion 41 of the indicating wheels will successively become visible through the windows 40 as the wheels are rotated. Parallel slots 42 are formed in the periphery of the cover 35 and through the slots 42 extend handles or levers 43 of the indicating wheels. Slots 44 also extend through the cover 35 parallel to the slots 42.

It will be noted that the three slots 44 are shorter than the slots 42; that is, they terminate at a greater distance from the bottom of the cover 35 as shown in Fig. 1 than the slots 42. The slots 44 are made shorter so that the ends thereof form a stop to prevent the last three indicating wheels from. being rotated to the asterisk position since it is necessary that either a positive numeral or a zero be always printed to show the proper amount of the check. Since the levers 43 in the slots 44 will engage the ends of the slots 44 at the time that 0 comes into printing position and the wheels have the levers 43 extending through the slots 42, the asterisk on the periphery after the zero can be rotated to the end of the slots 42. This will bring the asterisk into position at the slot 25 for all the wheels other than those having levers extending through the slots 42 to print an asterisk in the center portion. Therefore, when the amount of a check is to be written for less than one dollar, for example, seventy-five cents, the check will read DOLS 75 CTS. and for checks amounting to more. than one dollar, for instance, $25.65, the check will read **25 DOLS 65 CTS.

Spacer blocks of the spacer blocks 45, 46, and 47 have a round axial bore 57 therethrough which receives an axle 29.

Outer edges 60 and 61 of the blocks 45 and 47 adjacent the outer ends of the axle 29 are received between the outer edges of the slot 25 in the end caps 12 and 13. This holds the two outer supports 45 and 47 in alignment, preventing pivotal movement about the axle 29 which has its ends fixed in bores 28. Since the spacer bars 55 and 56 snugly fit between the shoulders 52 and 53, they will be held in firrn alignment with the blocks 45 and 47. The lower ends of the spacer blocks 45, 46, and 47 each have a longitudinally extending recess defined at the lower end thereof by inturned ends and 161. The T-shaped space therein receives porous rubber strips 171 shown in Figs. 16 and 17. The strips 171 may be made of porous rubber such as that disclosed in Patent No. 2,598,806. The rubber strips 171 have the words THE SUM OF, DOLS, and CTS., respectively, molded thereon. These words are held in fixed position and are imprinted on each check which is printed by the machine 10. The specific amount of the check is printed by the digits on the other rubber strips on the indicating wheels.

Indicating wheels The indicating wheels 41 are shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 13. The wheels 41 are made up of a disk portion or side flange 63 having a portion thereof cut away to form an opening 64 therein. A central boss 65 is attached to the flange 63. The central boss 65 has a bore 66 therethrough which receives the axle 29 and the wheels 41 rotate thereon. Screws 30 engage threaded holes in the ends of the axle 29 and are disposed in counterbores 31 of the bores 28 which are disposed in bosses 27 in the end caps 12' and 13. The lever 43 is attached to side flange 63 by means of a rivet 67 or it could be molded into the plastic material from which the wheel 41 is made or attached by any other equivalent means. A peripheral rim 68 is attached to one-half of the outer periphery of the side flange 63. On the outer surface of the rim 68 are formed the indicia numerals shown in Fig. 4.

In operation, the numerals successively appear at the windows 40 when the wheel 41 is rotated. The numeral on the rim 68 appearing at any time at a window 40 will correspond to the numeral on the rubber strip overlying the platen 26 at the particular time. A thick insert rim portion 70 defines the outer periphery of the other half of the wheels 41 and it is set in slightly from an outer edge 71 of the flange 63. The rim 70 has wheel indexing notches 72 defined by spaced lugs 73 on the inner edge thereof. Spaced outwardly from the rim 70 are registering fingers 74 which extend axially from the outwardly extending portion of the side flange 63 and are spaced outwardly from an outer surface 75 of the rim 70.

When the device is assembled with the indicating wheels 41 supported on the axle 29, the spacer blocks 45, 46, and 47 are disposed between the indicating wheels 41 as shown in Fig. 13. The spacer bar halves 55 and 56 are'disposed through the rectangular bore 49 in the spacer blocks 45, 46, and 47 with the spacer bar extending through the opening 64 in each of the indicating wheels 41. The wheels 41 may rotate around the axle 29 limited in rotation by the edges of the opening 64'.

Spacer bar The spacer bar is made up of the two halves 55 and 56 which may be generally rectangular in cross section contoured on an outer peripheral surface 80. The spacer bar halves 55 and 56 have bores 82 therein which receive helicalcompression springs 83. The springs 83 urge the halves 55 and 56 of the spacer bar outwardly away from each other. Balls 84 are disposed in the reduced size ends of the bores 82'and the balls 84 engage the notches 72 in the indicating wheels 41. When the machine is in the assembled position, the indicating wheels 41 are held by the balls 84 at any predetermined position at which they are stopped. When in such predetermined position, one of the numerals on the indicating r-im 68 will appear at the window 40- and a like numeral on a rubber strip 100 will be disposed between the ends 37 and 38.

Platen The platen 26 is made up of an intermediate portion 90 pivotally connected to the base 11 by means of a rod 98 passing through boresin lugs 91. The platen 26 has a hand engaging portion 92 at one end thereof. A leaf spring 96 is disposed to hold the platen 26 in position below the surface of the base 111 except when the portion '92 is depressed by the hand of an operator to print a check. The check stop member is made up of upwardly extending lugs 93 connected by an intermediate portion 94. A screw having a screw head 95 extends through a slot 99 in the base 11 with its threaded portion engaging the intermediate portion 94 and adapted to'be tightened down into engagement with the top surface of the base 11, locking the stop into position in the base 11.

When the machine is assembled as shown in Fig. 1, a check to be printed may be inserted into a slot 20 and it will slide back until one edge thereof engages the lugs or stops 93. The stops 93 may then be adjusted so that the line on the check on which the amount is to be printed will be directly under the slot 25 between the ends 36 and 37 in the cover 35. Then when the operator presses on the hand engaging portion 92, the check will be pushed up into the slot between the ends 36 and 37 into engagement with the indicia printing member and the amount will then be printed on the check.

Fig. 14 shows the indicia carrying strip 100. The indicia carrying strip 100 is made up of a rubber band or stamp strip having grooves 101. formed therein. The

' grooves 101 receive the fingers 74 of the wheels 41. The

main portion of the rubber stamp band lies in the space on the surface 75 and the fingers 74 hold it in place. The stamp bands each preferably carry eleven characters which are an asterisk and the numerals 0 to 9 which are formed at 103. The entire indicia member 100 is made up of a porous rubber like material which receives ink and which will hold an amount of ink suflicient for printing over extended periods of time without necessitating replenishing thereof. The indicia member 100 is made of rubber such as that disclosed in Patent 2,598,806.

The fingers 74 engaging the notches 72 provide positive registering of the characters on the rubber band on each wheel 41 with the characters on the bands on the other wheels. Since underside 102 is fiat, it can be ground to make certain that each band in the check protector is of uniform thickness. Therefore, the same pressure will be created by the platen 26 on each character when the hand engaging portion 92 is depressed. Therefore, the ink printed will be of equal density and a uniform, symmetrical, and good appearing printing job will result.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A check writing machine comprising a base, indicating wheels rotatably mounted on said base, said indicating wheels having a rim portion disposed around a portion of the periphery thereof, said rim portion having an outer peripheral surface, a strip of resilient material supported on said outer peripheral surface and half-- ing characters on the side of said resilient material remote from said peripheral surface, and means to support a paper against said resilient material, said strip of resilient material having spaced notches on the side thereof remote from said peripheral surface, said wheels havingaxially extending fingers spaced outwardly from the outer periphery of said rim portion, said fingers being disposed in said notches in said resilient material whereby said resilient material is held in place on said indicating wheels.

2. The machine recited in claim 1 wherein said resilient material comprises ink containing rubber like material. e

3. The machine recited in claim 2 wherein said wheels each have a disk like portion extending from said rim portion radially outwardly and said fingers are attached to the side of said disk portion and extend axially therefrom overlying said rim portion and being received in said notches.

4. A check writing machine comprising a base, end cap members supported on said base, an axle supported between said end cap members, a plurality of indicating wheels supported on said axle and rotatable thereabout, spacer blocks on said axle and extending between said wheels and, at the end of said wheels, holding said wheels in spaced alignment, said spacer blocks having a hollow therethrough parallel to said axle and spaced therefrom, a spacer bar comprising two parallel members disposed in said hollow and engaging said cap members at the ends thereof, spaced bores in said spacer bars perpendicular to the of said axle, helical springs disposed in said bores urging said spacer bars away from each other, ball members disposed in said bores and urged outwardly by said springs, and means on said wheels engaging said ball members holding said wheels in predetermined positions. I

5. The machine recited in claim 4 wherein said means on said wheels engaging said ball members comprises a rim on said wheels spaced from the axis thereof, inward- -ly facing notches formed on the inwardly facing surface of said rim, said ball members engaging said notches and thereby selectively holding said wheels in a plurality of predetermined positions.

6. The machine recited in claim 4 wherein said spacer blocks have a resilient ink containing member having indicia and attached to the ends thereof remote from said axle, said ends adapted to engage a check when urged into engagement therewith, said resilient member printing iJndicia corresponding to the indicia on said resilient mem- 7. The machine recited in claim 4 wherein said wheels have an outer flat peripheral surface, said spacer blocks have a flat surface, said surface of said spacer blocks engaging the outer surface of said wheels, said flat surface of said spacer blocks having circumferentially spaced notches thereon and fingers supported on said wheels spaced outwardly from said outer surface engaging said notches, holding a resilient member to be printed in position on said wheels.

8. A check writing machine comprising a platen on said machine, a plurality of Wheels supported on a common axis on said machine, said wheels each having a flat surface on the periphery thereof, a plurality of spaced fingers on each said wheel, said fingers being spaced raflat surfaces of said wheels with said fingers disposed in i said notches whereby said stamp band is held in place on said wheels, and means to move said platen and said wheelsrelative to each other with a check blank to be printed therebetween.

9. The machine recited in claim 8 wherein each said band is ground on the fiat side thereof to render all of them of exactly the same thickness.

10. The machine recited in claim 9 wherein support members are supported on an axle between some of said wheels, and one side of spacers extend outwardly from .said axle and terminate in a surface having a rubber block supported thereon and indicia supported on said block.

11. A check writing machine comprising a base, end cap members supported on said base, an axle supported between said end cap members, a plurality of indicating wheels supported on said axle and-rotatable thereabout, spacer blocks on said axle and extending between said wheels and, at the end of said wheels, holding said Wheels in spaced alignment, said spacer blocks each having a hollow therethrough parallel to said axle and spaced therefrom, said wheels each having an internal portion thereof cut away forming an opening therethrough, a

spacer bar extending through said cut away portions in said wheels and through said hollows in said spacer blocks and supported on said cap members at the ends thereof, and detent means on said spacer bar engaging said wheels, holding said wheels in predetermined position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 798,460 Scotford Aug. 29, 1905 931,170 Wilhelm Aug. 17, 1909 940,087 Terrell Nov. 16, 1909 956,891 Dement May 3, 1910 1,530,871 Welter Mar. 7A, 1925 1,572,233 Chamberlin Feb. 9, 1926 1,606,190 Sharp Nov. 9, 1926 1,968,900 Naugler Aug. 7, 1934 2,211,794 Rohland Aug. 20, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,084,500 France Jan. 19, 1955 

